A few persons attended the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) public scoping meeting yesterday on the proposed Marriott Hotel project with no major concerns being raised over what is to be a US$52M investment projected to service 3.7M persons in 10 years.
The project summary circulated names US company ADUA as the source of the investment but who its main principals are still remains unclear and no answers have been provided to Stabroek News on this.
The meeting was part of the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) study that is required under the law. Apart from the EPA and company representatives, less than twenty persons were present.
The Marriott Hotel project is being developed by Adam Development/Urbahn Associates also known as ADUA, which is a merger of two companies out of New York. According to the project summary, ADUA has identified its investment to be US$52M with an average yearly turnover in the first 10 years of US$11M per year. ADUA is a registered company under the laws of Guyana, having done so on October 31 last year.
Chairing yesterday’s meeting was Director of the Environmental Management Division of the EPA, Alana Lancaster, who gave a brief overview of the public scoping process, which was later spoken about in depth by Senior Environmental Officer of the EPA, Khalid Alladin. He noted that an environmental permit was generally required for projects of that scope. Going through the steps required, he said that at the end of the meeting, there would be the finalization of the terms of reference for the environmental impact assessment (EIA).
Marriott Representative, Nat Barranco gave a summary of the project. In a PowerPoint presentation, he noted that the intention of the project is to establish an iconic hotel in Guyana. He said that the compound will consist of a hotel, casino, nightclub and restaurants all contained in one building.
He declared that during the construction phase 475 jobs will be provided while in the longer-term, there would be 375 permanent jobs. Emphasizing the various benefits that such a project would bring, among others, he said that it would enhance the neighbourhood and the project “speaks to the future of Guyana”.
According to the project summary, the total building area of the complex excluding parking is 185,000 square feet and the complex would rise up ten floors. The hotel portion would be approximately 135 000 square feet, consist of 160 rooms and be operated by Marriott International. The casino and entertainment portion of the complex would comprise approximately 50 000 square feet and be located on three levels.
The life of the project is 30 years and during the first ten, it is “envisaged to service a minimum of 3 740 000 over the first ten years”. Speaking after Barranco was Aedan Earle, the team leader for the EIA, who outlined the ESIA process.
After this the floor was open for comments, though after a few moments only a representative from Demerara Timbers Limited (DTL), located opposite the site, spoke and expressed concern about the effect the hotel would have on the company before and after it was built. She said that they were currently being affected by the dust from the site. “Right now we are suffering with dust”, she said also pointing to the timber trucks; “with an international hotel there, how will they look at DTL”, she said.
After there were no more comments, Lancaster closed the “short but productive session”. She said that the comment would be looked at when the final terms of reference for the ESIA is being finalized. Environmental Management Con-sultants (EMC) is the company conducting the ESIA. The ESIA will comprise three components namely environmental baseline studies, impact identification and assessment and preparing and environmental management plan. Consideration will be given to specific issues including traffic management, impacts to the aquatic environment, water use and management, effluent, including sewage management, solid waste management, energy use, drainage and susceptibility to flooding, social and economic impacts and cumulative impacts of the flooding.
Groundwork for the hotel complex has already started with work done on the diversion of sewage pipelines from the area to another location. And even though ADUA has not yet been granted permission to construct the facilities until the ESIA is granted, the company has nevertheless demolished some structures in the area including the building that formerly housed the Government Food and Drug Analyst Department and the obsolete Luckhoo swimming pool and has levelled the area in anticipation of starting construction by mid-year. The project ‘Georgetown Marriott – Hotel, Casino and Entertainment Complex’ is expected to serve as the hub for the major eco-tourism launch and promotion currently planned by the Guyana Government.
The proposed development covers 6.27 acres of land located in northwest Kingston contiguous to the Atlantic Ocean and the Demerara River next to Le Meridien Pegasus and Battery Road and the Seawall.
Questions have been raised about whether ADUA has previously undertaken construction projects of this scale but there have been no clear answers so far.
